My Blood
by marinaandthedorks
Summary: When his daughter's gone missing because of his mistakes, he leaves everything behind to find her.
1. Chapter 1

The muffled sobbing from upstairs drew his attention. He opened the front door with his key and found his older brother passed out on the couch. He directly went upstairs to her room. Daryl snorted and already knew what must have happened while he was out working. He shook his head and grinded his teeth before knocking on the door softly. Her sobbing stopped and he heard her voice gently saying "come in."

Daryl opened the door slowly and saw her, lying on her bed, wearing a black dress. Her mascara and eyeliner ran down her face, but she quickly wiped away the tears, causing the make up to spread all over her face. She sniffed and Daryl stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.

He nodded at the bed. "May I?" It almost sounded ridiculous; she wouldn't refuse, since he was the only with whom she could talk about it.

Daryl knew _he_ had gone too far this time; Elizabeth would never cry. She was a true Dixon, and would repeat her daddy all the time whenever he said 'Dixon's don't cry'. But that was a lie, because this little Dixon right here was crying, _heartbroken_.

Elizabeth nodded and pursed her lips together, trying to stay strong in front of her uncle. But when Daryl sat down, he shifted carefully towards the girl, hesitating before pulling her into a hug. She started to cry again and Daryl tightened his hold, while his other hand stroked her back. "Hush Lis, don' cry baby girl." he soothed, while feeling uncomfortable because of him holding her. That wasn't Lizzy's fault; he never liked to touch nor get touched by people, because the only pshysical contact he had experienced was from his ol' man, and that wasn't exactly the_ positive_ kind of touch that he had received.

But this was different. The girl was lying in his arms, broken, and she reminded him of himself when he was younger. Daryl wanted to say that 'Dixon's don't cry', but he decided it didn't matter now. She had all the reason in the world to cry.

"I jist wanted 'im to come," she sobbed, while she was clutching Daryl's shirt. "I even_ asked_ 'im tonigh', make sure he'd remember, but 'm sure he jus' forgot 'bout it." she continued while her voice was trembling.

"Lizzy, it ain' yer fault. Ya know what he's like." "I really wish you were there," she suddenly interrupted him, leaning back so they broke contact. Daryl flinched at her words and felt guilt washing over him as he eyed the girl. Her blue eyes pierced his, but then she looked away and stood up. Daryl followed her with his eyes as she watched her reflection in the mirror that was hanging on the door. "I look like a mess." she grumbled. There were black lines on her cheek and she started to rub them away.

"Dixon's don' cry," Daryl stood up when he heard her say these words, his blood starting to boil, and left the room without saying a word. The door slammed behind him and he walked down the stairs. His older brother was still passed out on the couch and Daryl tilted the couch over, not bothered by the fact about his harsh action.


	2. Chapter 2

The body hit the floor with a loud thud and his older brother opened his eyes right away, holding up a knife while he was trying to adjust his view to the bright daylight. When he realised it was Daryl he growled. "Ya fuckin' with me?!" he snapped while attempting to stand up. Daryl paced through the room while looking at his older brother. "Ya forgot somethin'?" Daryl grunted to Merle, who was now looking at him with confusion. "Tha fuck ya talkin' 'bout? Does 't looks like 'm in tha mood fo' riddles, lil' brotha?"

Daryl snorted and felt the anger raging through his veins. "It was her fuckin' _graduation_, ya piece 'o shit! Ya own bloody _daughter_ was graduating today!"

Merle's eyes widened and he opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "—But apparently gettin' high was more important t'ya! Darn brotha, she's upstairs cryin' for fucks sake. Ya own _daughter_, who thinks cryin' 's dumb 'n _weak_, is fuckin' sobbin' 'cuz her own daddy wasn' at her graduation!"

Merle's gaze dropped to the ground and he sighed heavily. "She ever gon' forgive me?" Merle asked suddenly while he returned his glance to Daryl, who sighed in response. "I dunnae, I ain' talkin' fo' her. Best 'f ya jist go to her 'n try t' apologize. Ya know, she never gon' get this night back, so don' expect forgiveness." Daryl scowled and snorted. "I'm goin' huntin', be back at midnight." Without waiting for Merle's reaction he walked towards the front door and left.

Merle sighed and slowly made his way upstairs, his heart feeling heavier with every step he took. When he reached the door of her bedroom, he stayed outside to listen. _Not a single sound_. He slowly reached for the doorknob and opened the door. His eyes tried to adjust while he gazed through the darkness.

His daughter was lying in bed with her back towards him. Merle noticed that she was still wearing her dress. He shambled towards her bed and laid down next to her, leaving enough space between them. "Lizzy?" he tried, turning his face to look at her._ No reaction_. "Ya awake?"

Elizabeth turned around, and Merle's heart dropped when he saw her face. Her eyes were red and swollen, her lips were burst and there was black all over her face. "Whad'dya want?" she hissed. Merle bit his lower lip. _Dixon temper. _

Dixon temper? _Ya forgot ya own daughter's graduation, ya fuckup. Ain' gotta be a Dixon t' be angry 'bout that._

"Apologize," he finally said. He was really trying, and he felt guilty for not being there for her. _Dad's were supposed to be proud of their daughters, but instead _he_ was snorting white powder and drinking whiskey._

"Well—_go on then_." her voice sounded blank and raspy. "Baby girl—'m sorry, I really am. I shoud've bin there. I fucked up alrigh'. I promise ya I'll never do that again."

Her daughter was taken aback by his words. It took a lot for a Dixon to actually having to admit something and swallow their pride in order to apologize. "Daddy, can ya promise me somethin'?" she peeped up at him. Merle slowly nodded.

"Cud ya stop usin'?"

Merle hadn't seen this one coming, but he _knew_ he _had_ to. He hadn't been the best parent over the last couple of years. _Hell_—this whole thing was still as hard as fuck for him, raising a daughter who was going through puberty and all that shit. But luckily she resembled a lot to her daddy, except for the addictive part. And yet despite him being high a lot, his daughter still managed to put up with his shit, even though he had been a complete asshole. _Only a Dixon can love a Dixon_, he suddenly thought.

Merle smiled briefly and nodded eventually. His daughter smiled and Merle wrapped his daughter in his arms. He pressed his lips to her temple. "I won' let ya down again baby girl, I promise."


	3. Chapter 3

**Flashback**

* * *

It was on a summer's day. The birds were chirping and the sun was shining brightly. Daryl Dixon was cleaning his hunting knives outside on the porch. His brother was gone—he didn't say where he was headed.

Daryl was aware about Merle's way of living. He knew his brother would get high very often, but last week had probably been the worst of all times. Merle had been high for a few days straight and he would leave without saying anything. Sure, Daryl wasn't _actually_ worried about him. _Only a Dixon can kill a Dixon._ But still—it didn't feel right. Merle had already left Daryl before, when he was still a toddler. But now he was in his mid twenties and his older brother in his 30's and things were different. They were _alone_. The only thing they had left was each other.

Daryl put the knives down on the ground and they were now shining in the sunlight. He took a cigarette out of his jacket and lit it. He let it hang loosely between his lips and he continued to clean the arrows from his crossbow.

He was lost in thought when he was abruptly thrown back to the present by a loud noise. His brother was staggering towards the cabin, looking high as fuck, while holding a bottle of whiskey. Daryl laid the crossbow down on the porch and stood up. "Where tha fuck you been at?" Daryl asked, furrowing his eyebrows while he took in the state of his brother.

"That fuckin' bitch," Merle muttured. Daryl walked towards his brother and let him lean on his left shoulder. "Wha'?" Daryl asked, not understanding what he was trying to say. Merle was grumbling something under his breath and looked at Daryl then. "Tha bitch I used ta fuck with, like 1 year ago,—she 'ad a fuckin'_ baby._"

Daryl halted and froze on the spot. "Ya—wha'? Ya got a fuckin' _kid_?"

Merle smirked. "Apparentl'y, 'm officially a daddy."

Daryl heaved a sigh. His _brother_ a _father? Ol' fucker can barely take care 'o 'imself_, he mocked in thought while gazing at his brother. "So what now? Bitch askin' ya fo' money now? Who's she anyway?"

"Cheryl."

"Tha fuckin' heroine addict?" Daryl's eyed widened in disbelief.

Merle nodded and sighed. "Lil' brotha, she's high 24/7, bitch 's even worse than me alrigh'. Da fuck 'm I supposed ta do now?"

Daryl snorted. "Ya really ain' sayin' this are ya? Just don', brotha. We ain' capable of raisin' a kid."

Merle tried to open the front door of the cabin and they strolled inside. "I used protection all tha time when I was bangin' 'er,—bitch ain' got proof the kid's really mine." he stated, before dropping himself on the couch. "Alrigh' that's too much info," Daryl smirked. "Why dont'cha get sum sleep—ya look like shit."

Merle grinned and had already closed his eyes.

* * *

They'd gone out hunting for the weekend because they needed food. Daryl's pay from the job at the garage wasn't enough to provide them with decent amount of food everyday. Merle worked at a random factory somewhere, but that didn't pay him enough either.

When they'd called it a day and headed back to the cabin again, dragging a deer and some squirrels along with them, Merle had insisted to go to _'Austin's'_, which was his favourite pub. Daryl had refused right away, but Merle had told him to 'wipe his pussy' and drink a beer with his older brother.

Daryl already didn't like it the moment they stepped inside. However he stayed anyway, pressured by his older brother. They sat at the bar, Merle was sipping from his whiskey while Daryl was having a beer. There was a TV and it was showing some kind of uninteresting cartoon. The brothers were watching it in silence and occasionally sipped from their drinks.

When it was about 11 PM, more people were coming. People were dancing and getting drunk and Daryl was observing the room in silence._ Some of them were definitely high,_ he realised, noticing their energy and weird habits that his brother also used to get after using. He shook his head and ordered another beer.

He looked over at Merle, who was sitting next to him. However, his older brother was turned away with his back to him. Daryl took another sip from his beer and followed his brother's gaze. He nearly choked in his beer.

_The junkie with whom Merle had hooked up with._ Daryl remembered that night, 4 years ago, when Merle came home high like a bird, telling him about the woman who claimed to have a child of his. The so called '_momma_' from Merle's child. Hell—did Merle even know what gender the kid was? _Was it even still alive?_

His older brother stood up and walked towards the woman. Cher, Cheryl—_da fuck's 'er name even?_ She looked unhealthily skinny, with dark bags under her eyes. Her hair lost its shine due to the drugs and her teeth were yellow. Daryl looked away in horror—he couldn't believe his brother had fucked this.. _thing._ She looked like a true junk and that was the only thing she seemed to care about, if he had to believe the stories from his older brother.

Daryl felt a hand hit his back and he turned around. His older brother was looking at him, outraged. "Let's go Darylena, we leavin'." he growled. Daryl raised his eyebrows but obeyed his brother. He followed Merle outside and Daryl looked at him in confusion. "Da fuck ya starin' at, brotha?! Follow me 'n don' say a thang 'til I tell or ask ya to." Merle started to walk away and Daryl followed him in silence.

They walked for 40 minutes. Merle was still pissed for some reason, but Daryl knew better and kept his mouth shut. They arrived at a trailer park and Merle walked past by some trailers until he halted. Without saying, he walked to a trailer and kicked the door open. Daryl looked at him in shock when his brother entered the place.

He heard his older brother curse and Daryl quickly followed him and realised why he was cursing.

The trailer was disgusting; unwashed dishes, rotten food over the kitchen dresser, random objects all over the floor, needles and white powder left-overs on the table, mushrooms on the other table and clothes that were covering some filthy ass carpet.

But that wasn't the reason why Merle was cursing.

In the middle of the room sat a little girl, probably about 4 years old, with a crayon clutched in her little hand. She looked at the strange men in shock. Merle and Daryl exchanged a look, but Merle walked towards the little girl in silence. The girl looked like she was about to burst out in tears, but Merle lifted his hand. "Sssh now—Dixon's don' cry, girl."

The girl only stared at the oldest Dixon when he came closer. He slowly scooped her up in his arms and Daryl could only watch and notice how much they looked a like. His older brother was smiling—something he barely saw, and he couldn't help himself but smirk at the sight. Maybe he was wrong after all, he pondered, while he watched Merle brushing the girl's hair out of her face.

They managed to find some decent clothes that were clean enough and left the trailerpark behind them. Merle was carrying his daughter and Daryl was holding a plastic bag that had the clothes in it.

When they were back at the cabin, Daryl grabbed a bar of soap and they went to the river nearby. Merle washed the girl and gave her a moment of privacy so he could talk to his little brother.

Merle met his eyes briefly. "So this 's her then," Daryl stated. Merle nodded. "Tha bitch in tha pub kept talkin' t' me, sayin' I 'ad to pay her for tha kid—fuckin' skank would definitely use th' money ta get drugs." Merle was still pissed off and for a moment Daryl thought he was going to lose it again, but he continued his story. "I asked 'er what tha kid's name was 'n she looked at me like I jist asked 'er some sort 'o science related question. I asked 'er sum more 'bout tha kid 'n she simply stood there. Then I asked 'er if she knew 'f tha kid's was even still alive—she told me 'bout tha trailer, and 'bout how she only slept there if she couldn' get laid. Then I told 'er to give me the directions or I'd kill 'er."

Merle snorted and Daryl ran a hand through his hair. "Shit's fucked up," Daryl said. Merle nodded. "Shit's fucked up," Merle repeated after his little brother. "So, ya gon' raise tha kid?" Daryl asked, glancing over at the girl that was splashing in the water with a smile on her face. Merle looked at her and smiled. "Yeah, I s'ppose. She a Dixon after all. _Hell_, didn' ya see th' bad ass look she gave me when I told 'er that Dixon's don' cry? Only a fuckin' Dixon can look like tha'!" Merle laughed and punched his little brother on the arm. Daryl chuckled and shook his head. _Only a Dixon can love a Dixon, and only a Dixon can change a Dixon._


	4. Chapter 4

_**Flashback**_

* * *

When she turned 15, she began to understand what was happening. But she never knew_ why._

Lizzy had seen her daddy get drunk several times. But when he used drugs it was even worse.. It terrified her. She would never admit it, but it _terrified_ her. Her once so sweet daddy would turn into a complete different person —he'd yell and curse at everything, including her. Or worse; he'd invite his stupid junk friends to come over and they would literally laugh at everything. Not to mention, some of them would harass her, and not in a good way. However, when she told her dad, he'd command her to shut up and go to her room. She'd obey her father since she didn't want to piss him off. Sometimes she would hear her uncle downstairs, and he'd come to her room to keep her company until her dad's friends would either leave or pass out on the couch.

It never really escalated. However, one night, it did. It had been the first time when Lizzy actually became mad at her own father.

* * *

It was prom time, and her best friend had asked her to go with him. Lizzy didn't want to go at all—she thought prom was stupid and a waste of time. She was a true Dixon on that matter; she'd rather go hunting with her daddy and uncle, instead of shopping for stupid girls clothing al all that shit. But her friend eventually managed to convince Lizzy anyhow.

She was all dressed up, and she even managed to buy a cheap mascara the day before. Though she still felt weird and uncomfortable in the tight blue dress. When she went downstairs, her daddy was sitting on the couch with a bottle of Walker clenched in his hand. The small TV was on and he was watching some kind of show about motorcycles. His daughter stepped forward, until she was standing right in front of him. Merle looked up, with a blank face, until he realised what she was wearing. "Da fuck, Liz." He grumbled, causing Lizzy to bite her lip. "Wha' kin' of joke 's this, girl? Ya tryin' to_ fool_ ya ol' man?" his eyes were different, Lizzy noticed. The once so warm and comforting blue eyes were changed into a harsh and cruel look. _This wasn't daddy._ He snorted the damn coke, she said to herself, while looking at him. "Ya goin' ta answer me?!" he attempted to stand up, but he was struggling to keep his balance. He pointed at her dress. "Somethin' ya wann' tell me,_ hm_?"

Lizzy sighed. "I'm jus' goin' to ta prom, daddy." she said quietly. Her father scowled and towered himself over her. "With _who_?" he said with a tone that gave Lizzy shivers. "Jack. My bes' friend." She explained as she returned his gaze, trying to prove that she wasn't afraid. _But she was._ There was nothing more scarier than her father being high on drugs.

Sometimes Lizzy would hear him yell at her uncle Daryl, about how nobody loved him and nobody ever would, except for Merle himself. About their father and youth. Lizzy wanted to leave her room to scream at her father so badly when things like that happened, but she didn't have the balls to do so. One day she had asked her uncle about it, but he simply forced her to stay out of it, saying it was something between him and his brother.

"Ya best friend, _huh_? Well, he's got a _dick,_ so he ain' ya _friend_. Boys only want one _thang_, doll. Now go t' ya room, tha' blue piece of shit ya wearin' is hurtin' mah eyes." her father rasped, while letting himself fall down on the couch. Lizzy stared at her dad in disbelief. _Did he really jist say that t' me?_ She desperately wished that her uncle Daryl was here, so he could try to talk him out of it. But Lizzy decided it was time to step up for herself. _And so she did._

She snorted and straightened her back, trying to make herself look taller. "I'm goin'," she stated firmly. Her dad opened his eyes to look at her. "Ya 'ave 2 minutes ta go ta ya room, sugar. I ain' tellin' ya again. 'F I see that guy 'ere, I will_ break_ his fuckin' legs."

Lizzy tried to swallow the lump in her throat and she feared she would might_ choke_ to death. But she shook her head. "Daddy, please, _stop._ Jus' let me go—ain' nothin' gonna happen. I can call Daryl t' come pick me up afterwards. _Please_." she whispered pleadingly, afraid to make her daddy mad. But when she let the words sink in, she wanted to punch herself._ Goddamnit, Liz, tha plan was ta look threatening._

"_2 minutes._" He repeated with a growl, while he sat up straight to look at her with a cautionary look on his face. Lizzy shook her head again. Her dad stood up and dashed towards her and grabbed her wrist. "Ya startin' ta piss me off, girly. Ya gotta do as I say so. Fuckin'_ listen_ ta me. Ya gon' go to ya room, go read a fuckin' _book_ or somethin'. I swear ta _God_ Elizabeth Dixon, if I notice ya tryin' to leave tha house t' go somewhere with that horny _horse_, you'll regret it." His grip was tightening and her hand was throbbing. "Stop it, daddy! Ya hurtin' me!" she bit her lower lip to fight back the stinging liquid behind her eyes. "Please!*" she yelled, looking into her father's eyes.

Something in his glance changed and he released her quickly. He almost seemed to feel guilty. Lizzy touched her wrist that was now turning red. She looked at it for a brief moment and looked at her father again. "I _hate_ you," she whispered, before scampering outside the house to go to the prom.

* * *

When she arrived at the prom with her friend, she was happy, but also quite sad about what happened home._ I hate you_. The words were still burning on her lips. Did she really _hate_ her dad?

He had taught her how to hunt, how to skin, how to make a fire and how to ride a fucking bike. He took her with him on his motorcycle and they would go fishing or get ice cream. But sometimes, he would go to the pub and he would force her to go with him. Most of the times, he went there to get drugs. Lizzy had tried to convince him _not_ to use it, she _begged_ him even, but after he snarled at her to mind her own business she decided it was pointless.

Sure, her daddy could be an _ass,_ but only if he were high or drunk. She could remember her own mother just a little, and she had been_ way _worse; her momma would leave her alone while she would get laid and spent her money on drugs. Sometimes she'd leave Lizzy alone for_ days_, with only a few cookies, some slices of bread and chocolatemilk to live from. Lizzy would cry herself to sleep, because she was afraid of the darkness _(still is_) and the 4 year old would pray to God to rescue her. The next day was the day her daddy had come for her. When he told her to stop crying, she never cried again since then.

She loved him, despite his use of drugs and alcohol. _Maybe one day he'll stop_, she thought hopefully.

* * *

"Fuck,—" she said, gripping her hair. The prom was over and she didn't have a ride home. Her school was about 45 minutes away from her home, and since they lived in the woods, she would have to pass through the woods herself. Fear took over when she noticed how dark it was.

She had forgotten her mobile phone during the argument between her and her dad. "Christ!" she yelled. There was no other option than to walk home.

* * *

It took her 1 hour to get home. By the time she reached the doorstep, her blue dress was ragged and her hair was tangled. She found the spare key hidden under a wooden figure that had belonged to her granddad. She opened the door as quietly as possible, and tiptoed her way into the house.

She found the empty living room, but when she looked at the floor, she saw the empty bottle of whiskey and several empty beer cans. Her heart jumped in her throat. "D-daddy?"

Her legs seemed to carry itself when she ran upstairs to his bedroom. _Nothing_. Did he leave?

She heaved a sigh and walked to the bathroom so she could wash off the stupid make up. But when she turned on the light, she jumped out of shock. Her dad was lying in the bath tub with his eyes closed and his mouth open. He looked pale and there were 2 empty cans of beer resting on his stomach. There was a sour, disgusting smell in the air and Lizzy saw the goo stinging on his shirt. She ran over to him and patted his shoulder. "Daddy?!" she screamed in panic, not knowing what to do. _This was your fault,_ she thought bitterly. _If you wouldn't have been so stupid, maybe this wouldn't have happened in the first place._

Her dad wasn't responding to anything, no matter _how_ hard she screamed at him. She stood up again and rushed to her room to grab her mobile. She immediately called her uncle. _"Lis? What's up? You_—" "Please, ya gotta come. It's daddy—he drank way too much 'n I think he did drugs. Please hurry, 'm afraid, I dunnea what t' do." "_Calm down. 'M on mah way. Talk t' him or somethin', alrigh'? Jus' keep tryin', I'll be there as soon 's I can_."

Her uncle hung up and Lis rushed her way back to the bathroom again. Her dad was still lying there, unconscious. She turned the shower on and let the water pour over his shirt to get the puke off.

His eyes slowly opened.

"Liz?"

His voice sounded raw and raspy and she realised he was _back_ again. Lizzy offered her father a slight smile. "How ya feelin'?" she asked softly, while turning off the shower. Her dad grinned. "Prol'ly the same as how I look." he replied. Lis smirked, but suddenly her dad's expression changed. He looked.. _surprised_? "Shit," he muttured, taking in the sight of his daughter. "Ya wearin' a _dress_? Wha' for?"

Lis heaved a sigh and gazed at her hands, remembering everything that had happened before the prom. _He probably wouldn't remember. _"Yeah, jus' forget it." she replied briefly, dearly hoping he wouldn't press the matter any further.

"Ya.. look beautiful."

The words startled her, but she smiled back at him anyway. She grabbed a towel and gave it over to her dad, who slowly got out of the tub. Lizzy stood before him, in case he would fall down. She was slightly happy about the fact that her dad probably forgot everything that happened between them earlier. A voice in the back of her mind was telling her that he would probably feel guilty if he would know the truth.

"Ya really hate me?"

The words were piercing through her like a bullet. _Fuck._ She looked up at him, afraid to meet his eyes. But she forced herself to look back at him. "No," she simply said. Her father nodded.

Suddenly, the door slammed open. Daryl appeared in the doorstep, out of breath and with even messier hair than he usually had. He looked at Lizzy but then his gaze lingered on his older brother. "Tha fuck 'appened?" he growled while stepping forward. He pushed Lizzy roughly away so he could stand in front of him. "Nothin'," Merle grumbled back to him. Daryl punched the nearest wall. "Bullshit! 'Nothin' my_ ass_. Now, tell me."

Merle was taken aback by the outburst from his baby brother. Usually _he_ would be the one in charge.

"Jist 'ad me some powder 'n booze, 's all. Get th' stick outta yer arse, Darylina."

Lizzy gasped for air, feeling like her heart was getting wrenched out of her chest. She noticed how Daryl tensed up next to her, but it seemed like he didn't want to go into further discussion. "Help me ta get 'im to 'is bedroom," he mumbled to Lizzy. She nodded and they both held Merle at one side as they walked him to his bedroom. "I ain' a fuckin' cripple, can take care 'o myself." her dad growled, trying to yank his arms away from them.

* * *

Daryl and Lizzy were in the living room. He was sitting on the couch opposite of her. Lizzy hadn't said anything to him yet. "Why ya wearin' tha dress?" Daryl wondered. Lizzy rolled her eyes. "Is it tha' big 'f a deal when 'm wearin' a dress?" she snapped back to him, causing Daryl to chuckle. "Well, kinda is. Ya hate dresses."

She folded her hands in her lap. "I went ta prom." she said quietly. Her uncle's eyes grew wide. "With a _guy_? 'N ya ain' thought of introducin' him ta _**us**_?"

Lizzy fell silent. It took a while for him to understand what she was trying to tell him. "Christ," he mumbled under his breath. He shook his head. "That bad huh?" he asked after a long silence. Lizzy sighed. "I told him I hated him," she explained, not daring to look into his eyes. "_Fuck_, Liz. Ya know that ain' the solution to all 'o this."

Lizzy jumped up on her feet, feeling the anger rush through her veins at the sudden. "He was bein' unreasonable! He started it, bein' high 'n all that crap!" she yelled while clenching her fists. Daryl seemed to regret his words, but Liz held her hands up. "I'm going ta sleep." she growled before he could say anything. Daryl nodded and Lizzy walked to her bedroom.

When she was lying in bed, she couldn't stop the memories from replaying itself inside her head. She dearly wished her dad would just quit the drugs. _Why did he need them anyway?_ she thought desperately. _Ain't he happy without them?_ She always wondered how he and her mother had been; were they just a one night thing, or were they actually together? The idea of her being their 'mistake' made her feel sick and she thought she was going to throw up. She quickly banished the horrible thoughts out of her mind and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping she'd drift off into a dreamless sleep.

But even that was too much to ask for.

The nightmares were filling her head. Dreams of her uncle dying, her father overdosing and dying and herself dying while she attempted to rescue them. She was crying in her sleep; she knew it for sure. The warm, salty-tasting liquid was running down her cheeks and she was unable to wake herself up. _Captured in her own diseased imagination_. But the nightmare faded away when she felt the warm lips pressed on her temple, and a familiar voice soothe her by saying _"I love you_" with a raspy tone.

* * *

*** = He was basically immune to Lizzy's pleading thanks to the drugs.**

**However, when Lizzy said "**_please_**", Merle suddenly had a flashback of when he left Daryl. Merle was leaving him again, god knows where, while Daryl was crying at the front door and begged ("**_please_**") Merle not to go because he didn't want to be left alone with their father **


	5. Chapter 5

The smell of fried eggs and bacon overwhelmed her when she woke up that morning. She opened her eyes, grunted when the bright daylight was blinding her for a slight moment, and got out of bed.

After taking a shower and changing into jeans and a shirt, she went downstairs. She raised her eyebrows when she entered the living room and noticed the set table. _The fuck?_

Her uncle came out of the kitchen, followed by her father who carried a saucepan filled with eggs, bacon and pancakes. _Her favorite breakfast_.

"Well 'm not sure 'f I woke up on tha wrong side 'f tha bed, but it sure as hell ain' my birthday." she murmured while her voice still sounded sleepy. Her uncle chuckled and her dad rolled his eyes. "Well, ya finally graduated. Figured we might s'well celebrate it a lil'." her dad said before he put down the saucepan on the table. Lizzy tried to hold back the laughter and sat down to eat her breakfast. Daryl and Merle followed her example and sat down as well. The three of them ate their meal in silence and Lizzy wondered if they were still processing about what happened yesterday.

When they were done having breakfast and cleaned everything up, she and her dad settled themselves on the couch, while Daryl sat down on the chair opposite of them. Merle turned the TV on so they could watch Nitro Circus, like they did every Saturday morning.

_"—We are interrupting this program for an emergency announcement regarding a new virus." _

Merle frowned and turned up the volume.

_"—Avoid any people that have the following symptons: fever, head ache, communication problems or trouble speaking, hallucinations, acting strange or different, nightmares, nausea or puking—" _

Lizzy was lost in thought and she refused to listen to any more of this nonsense.

But suddenly she shrieked in thought as they showed on the TV how 3 guys were eating another guy. Was this even_ real? _

"What th' fuck 's this shit? Somebody pullin' off a fuckin' joke?" Lizzy snarled throughout the message. _Why would someone do a prank like this? _

"Watch yer mouth, sunshine." Her uncle grumbled while giving her a look of disapproval when she let out the series of swearing. Merle chuckled with a satisfying look on his face and Lizzy pushed herself into the couch, feeling slightly ashamed of herself.

"Well, looks like we gotta rehearse tha thriller dance," her dad smirked. Daryl snorted. "Ain' nothin' gon' 'appen, jist some media obsessive_ bullshit_ ta get more viewers 'r somethin'." Daryl said to his brother. Lizzy bit her lower lip. The video footage seemed realistic enough. _Or was someone just trying to scare them?_

_Maybe they were using some kind of shitty ass video editing program_, she thought.

"_Sure_, lil' brotha. Keep dreamin'. Ya saw this video jist like us. So tell me, why in tha_ fuck_'s name would tha government mess with us like tha'? I say we get tha hell outta here. I don' wan' wait to see if 'ts true 'r not. Might s'well prepare a lil', jus' in case." her dad snapped, obviously frustrated because of the lack of information the news had given them. 'Can't we wait 'til my birthday?" she suddenly said. Merle turned around to look at Lizzy. "Baby girl, ya birthday 's 'n less than 2 months. We better not risk ta get hit by that fuckin' _virus_ thing or whateva th' hell it is. I'll promise I'll get ya a cake or somethin'." her dad replied while he gave her a forced smile. He ruffled her hair and Lizzy managed to return the smile, but she still had a bad feeling about this. If the virus _was_ real, where the _hell_ did it come from?

She saw her uncle standing up out of the corner of her eyes. Her daddy laid his hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him. "Stop overthinkin', doll. Jist forget it fo' now. Come wi' us, we wan' show ya somethin'."

The 3 of them walked towards the front door, but before Daryl took hold of the doorknob, her daddy turned around to look at his daughter. "We got ya a thing," he explained with a grin. Lizzy looked at her uncle who smirked suspiciously. She raised her eyebrows and started to become more and more curious. "Well, open tha damn door brotha, before she'll explode with questions." Daryl nodded and chuckled before he opened the door.

They stepped outside and their footsteps echoed on the porch wood. They continued to walk further. They reached the garage at the back of their house.

Lizzy shrieked with joy.

The world's ugliest dark-blue pick up was parked on their drive way.

But it was _her_ pick up.

She paced forward to touch the engine hood, which had cracks in the paint. She turned around and looked at her dad and uncle in disbelief.

"For _me_?" she chirped happily. Her father smiled. "For_ you_, sugar." he answered. Daryl and her father exchanged a satisfied look. "But _why_? My 18 birthday 's not 'til June. And last time I checked, it 's only April." while she was talking, she walked around to examine the verhicle. _Perfect. _

"Ya don' like it? Give it back, then." her daddy teased with a smirk, in which her uncle started to laugh quietly. "NO!" Lizzy exclaimed in response.

"Love t' fist verhicle sight, 's a Dixon thing I'm tellin' ya." her uncle muttered with a chuckle. Her dad walked to his motorcycle and touched the handles. "Damn right." he grinned. "Consider 't as 'n early birthday present and graduation thing." he said as turned to his daughter, who laughed with excitement.

Daryl threw the keys towards her and she caught them eagerly. "Well, whad'dya waitin' for girl? Start the damn car!"


	6. Chapter 6

_**Flashback**_

* * *

Three weeks passed and not a thing had changed when they took the kid home. His brother seemed to avoid any possible situation regarding raising the kid. Meanwhile, Daryl was forced to take care of the damn child, since Merle refused to get off his lazy ass. No, the only thing that kept him occupied was snorting the goddamn drugs and disappearing without telling Daryl where he was going. But the most frustrating part was, that he had actually believed his older brother was ready to change his life for the kid.

_But no, th' fucker ain' doin' shit, while I tol' him it wasn' a good idea ta bring 'er here in tha first place._

Daryl looked at the little girl, who was outside perched on her knees, while picking flowers. He then looked at Merle, who was sitting on the couch inside the house. Daryl grinded his teeth as he watched how his brother smirked while he was watching some sort of porn program._ Asshole._ He wondered why his brother had wanted to take the kid with him in the first place. His brother wasn't some guardian angel who would rescue a 4 year old of which he didn't even know if whether it was really his child or not. The fucker had often abandoned _him when_ they were younger, why would it be any different with her? Why would he bother to take her with him?

**_Because it's _**_his_**_ child._**

"Oh, gimme a goddamn break." Daryl growled in answer to his own thoughts. He stood up from the chair on the porch and entered the house to go to his brother. He turned off the TV and tried his best not to be furious about the fact that his older brother was indeed watching porn, while his bloody own daughter was outside. Daryl stared at Merle.

His brother's response was impaired because of the drugs, but soon his eyes were filled with fury. "What th' fuck, Darylina?! Ya fuckin' blind or didn' ya see I was watchin' tha'?!" Merle exclaimed while he furrowed his eyebrows. Daryl paced through the living room. "We gotta talk," he started, but Merle already stood up and walked to Daryl until they were only a few inches away from each other. "No, we _don_'." his older brother hissed in his lower voice while he looked at Daryl with a dangerous look. Daryl was avoiding his gaze and looked outside, where the girl was playing. _Man tha fuck up_, he heard himself mutter in thought. "Yes, we do. 'S about tha kid."

"Wha' 'bout 'er?" Merle growled quietly. It almost seemed like Daryl had hit him right on his weak spot.

"Figured since it's s'pposed ta be ya kid, ya wan' take a lil' responsibility for it. It's been three fuckin' weeks 'n tha kid doesn' even 'ave a name yet. Hell, I don' even know 'f she can _talk_." Daryl explained while he tried his best not to sound threatening or whatsoever. The last thing he wanted was him to end up fighting his brother in front of the girl. "An' since it was yer idea ta take 'er in, figured ya might wan' reconsider yer choice befor' she's gettin' too attached to tha place." he continued after he took a step back to distance himself from his older brother, who was looking at him with a warning look. Daryl was pushing his buttons now and he _knew_ it, but that was the _only_ way to get through Merle.

"What 'r ya sayin' to me, brotha? Ya lookin' at me like 'm a fuckin' failure, I ain' stupid. Ya thinkin', '_oh he's a sexist 'n racist motherfucker, he might s'well leave tha kid in that god for fucks saken trailer t' die alone_'? is that what ya sayin', lil' brotha?! That 'm so fuckin' _heartless_, 'm just gon' leave a kid on its own to die?" his brother snapped to Daryl while he clenched his fists. Daryl snorted and shook his head. "Well 's jus' since I'm takin' care of tha kid, it wouldn' be any different. If I wouldn' feed tha fuckin' kid or change 'er clothes, she would die 'nyway, so who tha fuck cares, _huh_?!" Daryl replied, his voice toned with anger. He started to lose his control and all his bottled up anger seemed to burst out. "—'Nfact, who says ya ain' leavin'_ this_ time? Yer _always_ tha one who's leavin' in the end."

"Shut yer mouth Darylina,—ya makin' me lose my _patience_." His older brother grumbled as he stood up. "Ya wan' me ta raise tha kid? _Fine_."

When Merle stood up straight, he walked to the front door, leaving Daryl alone in the living room. Daryl followed his movements and watched him closely. He wondered if it was a good idea to leave his older brother alone with the girl. "Le's go princess, we goin' for a drive." Merle's voice rasped at the kid, who was now looking at her father with fear. "What, ya _scared_ 'f ya ol' man?"

The girl didn't say anything, but looked at Daryl with her eyes full of despair. Daryl tried to swallow the lump that was stuck in his throat while he forced himself to look back. _Ya leavin' 'er with him_, said a voice in his head. _Ya dumb fuck._

Merle yanked the girl up her feet and motioned her to come with him. But she froze on the spot, too terrified to do anything. Merle turned around and Daryl wanted to stop his brother. But he knew that if she wouldn't learn now, she would have a hard life ahead of her.

"What, ya lost ya fuckin' _tongue_ 'r wha'?! C'mon!" Merle growled at her. The girl ran and followed Merle to their old car.

They were in the grocery store. Merle was hungry because of the drugs and was walking down the snack aisle, while his daughter was right behind him. "_Hold this_," he commanded her, taking a few bags of chips and dropping it in her tiny arms. She tried to catch them but failed. "For fucks sake, open ya eyes would ya?!" he yelled, causing a woman who was there as well to look around. "Sir? I don't think you should yell at your daughter like this—" "Ya gon' fuckin' tell me how ta raise my_ own_ kid?! Shut tha fuck up,_ bitch_, ain' yo' business."

When they were home again, the girl immediately ran off to her room.

The young Dixon snorted. _Room_. It was an extra room that had been filled with old stuff from their own father. They never bothered to clean it up after he died, but after they took the little girl home, they threw the whole mess outside and set it on fire.

Daryl noticed the tears welling up in her eyes when the girl passed him on the stairs and he looked at his older brother. "Tha fuck did ya do?" he asked while his older brother ripped a random bag of chips open. Merle turned around. "I took tha kid out to the grocery store. Bought 'er some poptarts, isn' 'at what lil' kids like?" he murmered before he stuffed his mouth with a handful of chips. But before Daryl could answer, Merle's voice was already sneering through the air. "Wait no, don' tell me—hell if I know _or_ care."

Daryl snorted and felt how his blood started to boil. He left the house and strolled to the forest so he could let off steam while hunting.

The rest of the day passed by quickly and Daryl managed to track down a small deer. When it was starting to become dark, he decided it was time to go back to the house. The deer was hanging around his shoulders as he made his way back.

But when the house popped up out of the distance, he sensed that something was wrong right away. He accelerated his pace, even though the deer was starting to hurt his shoulders, and stepped out of the bushes. _Fuck._

3 police cars were parked outside, all three of them with the siren lights on. Daryl dropped the deer, sprinted towards the house and opened the front door.

"—_should mind your own business! I ain' done nothin' wrong, ya cocksuckin' idiots. Get tha fuck outta my house!" "Sir, you really need to calm down now. We are supposed to follow our orders, please cooperate, or we will have to use pepperspray and handcuffs,—" "I ain' a fuckin' criminal. Jist 'cuz I was in jail don' mean shit._"

Daryl walked into the living room and found his brother pinned down on the ground by two police officers. The other 3 were surrounding them, with their hands on their guns. "Da fuck 's goin' on 'ere?—"

_"Lower your weapon!_" One of the man commanded while aiming his gun at Daryl and motioning at the crossbow. Daryl was looking at them in confusion. "Alrigh', calm _down_, I ain' gonna do anythin'." Daryl replied softly while he laid down the crossbow. He raised his hands and looked at Merle, who had obviously snorted another line, judging by his agressive reaction. "Can ya tell me wha's goin' on here now?" Daryl asked, still not understanding what was happening.

Daryl looked up when he heard a clicking noise and saw his brother sitting on the ground with handcuffs on. "Fuckin' _assholes_!" Merle screamed at the men in uniform. "Shut ya mouth, _Merle_." Daryl snapped in frustration while he sat down on the couch. _Why?_

But suddenly everything was clear.

Another police officer came down the stairs while he carried the girl in his arms. Daryl's mouth dropped open.

"We received several reports about child abuse. We are sorry to inform you, that we have to take this girl to Child Services, until mr. Merle Dixon is to be proven harmless and innocent."

"Keep ya fuckin' hands off my daughter, you _cocksuckin_'—"

The sudden sound of a punch caused the officers to look at them in surprise. Three of them were already touching their gun again, but Daryl shook his head. His hand was aching, and Merle's nose was bleeding. Daryl lowered himself on the ground and looked at his handcuffed brother. "Can ya jus' keep ya mouth shut for one minute? 'M tryin' ta do ya a favor 'ere. If ya wan' keep this kid so friggin' badly then ya need ta start actin' like a parent, for fucks sake." Daryl grumbled. Merle didn't say anything, but his facial expression was clear enough that he understood what Daryl was trying to say. Daryl turned around again, to look at the police men. "How long 's that gon' take?" He asked as politely as possible._ Damn son, ya should 'ear yaself, cunt licking a police officer for that old piece of shit_. His father's voice made him bite the inside of his cheek, but he remained calm.

"Depends on mr. Dixon's behavior. It could be 1 year, it could be 10 years. Until Child Services decides that mr, Dixon is _safe_, they will keep her in a foster home."

_Foster home_. The words nearly made him gag.

Daryl nodded slowly and the police officer who was carrying the girl, walked outside with her in his arms. Daryl wanted to follow them. Even though he still thought it was a bad idea to keep the girl, she didn't deserve this. She was a_ Dixon_, and Dixon's looked out after eachother. Besides, the girl was innocent and hadn't done anything wrong.

He then turned to look at the remaining police men. One was writing something down on a small notebook, but Daryl was still locked up in his thoughts, until he heard the police officer ask: "_what is your daughter's name, mr. Dixon?_"

Daryl looked at Merle, who heaved a sigh. It was obvious that the older Dixon was still infuriating at the police men.

"Ann Elizabeth Dixon," he grumbled. Daryl scowled and his eyes met Merle's for a brief moment. Did he just give her a name?_ An actual name?_

_Ann Elizabeth Dixon_. He remembered suddenly, why it sounded so familiar. Their grandma's name had been Elizabeth. Their grandma had always been nice towards Merle. Ann, however, was a creation made up by Merle himself.


	7. Chapter 7

The engine roared to life and she gave a little gas while humming to the Johnny Cash song that was playing in the background. She glanced over to her dad and uncle, who were sitting next to her in the front. They were looking back at her with a questioning look, but she only smiled and focussed on the road in front of her.

This week had been a good week; Daryl and Merle had a week off and now the three of them were roadtripping on the highways through the forests of Georgia. Lizzy was grateful for actually being able to _enjoy_ all of this; simply driving in her new car together with her dad and uncle, while listening to their favourite music.

"Eyes on tha road, sugar. I would like ta live 'nother day."

She looked at her dad who was sitting next to her and she stuck her tongue out at him in response. Merle chuckled and shook his head.

They had bought some hotdogs and soda after Daryl had suggested to stop at a camping spot somewhere so they could eat before going back home. Merle and Lizzy had both agreed to the plan, and after 20 minutes they found a good spot.

Merle had made a fire and Daryl found some sticks for the hotdogs. They held them above the flames, while the radio of the pick-up was still on.

After they finished their hotdogs, they got into the car to head back home. However, when they were on the highway, they had to stop because of a traffic jam. "What's goin' on?" Lizzy asked in surprise. Daryl didn't say anything but opened the window so he could have a better look. "Turn 'round." her dad instructed her, while he squeezed his eyes together and looked at the cars in front of them. Daryl looked at Merle. "They all got bags 'n shit, looks like they all runnin' off 'r somethin'." he said to his older brother. Merle snorted. "Turn 'round, Liz." he demanded again. Lizzy nodded and turned the steering wheel sidewards, but the sudden sound of a klaxon made her jump up. "I can't 'cuz of this moron behind me!" she growled frustrated, while she pressed her klaxon as well in response to the man behind her. Merle grasped her hand and squeezed it. "Listen girl, ya gon' take tha other road against th' traffic. There's no one drivin' there anyway. Think ya can do that?" he rasped quietly. Lizzy's eyes were widening. "But daddy— that's against th' law!"

Her father shook his head. "Somethin's tellin' me that th' law ain' gon' be much 'f a problem. Just do it."

Lizzy bit her lower lip, quite nervous about the fact that even her _father_ was feeling rather uncomfortable here. Meanwhile, Daryl hadn't said a word. Lizzy sighed and gave a little gas while turning the car around. Her daddy had been right—no one was driving on the other road. _That's just weird,_ she thought, while she drove back home.

When they drove passed by the neighborhood that was a few meters away from their cabin, Lizzy halted and felt like her throat was being pinched.

Right in front of a random house, 2 men and 1 woman were attacking another woman.

They were _eating_ her.

Lizzy felt like throwing up and she bit the inside of her cheek until she was tasting blood. "What the.." she heard her uncle say.

"Media obsessive bullshit, _huh_?" her father said to his brother, who was looking at the people in horror. Lizzy clenched the steering wheel. "Is this really happenin'?" she whispered with a disgusting undertone. Her father laid a hand on her shoulder. "Go." he urged in reply. Lizzy turned around to look at him. "We gotta help them!"

Other people were running outside their houses now as well. A few were crying, while others were attacking and eating eachother. The sound of gunshots startled Lizzy.

Merle squeezed her shoulder. "Baby girl, we can't help 'em. Look at them, Lizzy, they pretty much _dead_ already."

Lizzy looked at her father and shook her head with disbelief, but when she made eye contact with her uncle who nodded, she pushed the gas pedal in anyway.

When they stopped in front of their cabin, Daryl and Merle got out right away. Lizzy was however practically frozen in her seat. The door next to her opened and her dad tilted her out the seat. "Toughen up, girl." he grumbled to her as he pushed her towards the front door.

Once she was inside, Merle locked the front door behind them and ran into the kitchen. Daryl was already there and had grabbed 3 backpacks. "Lis, I need ya ta grab all tha canned an' other long lastin' food ya can find. Daryl, get all tha weapons 'n shit." Merle commanded, before he ran off to their bedrooms to gather some clothing and blankets.

Lizzy did as she was told and grabbed almost everything she could find. She was glad they often went camping, because they had a whole collection of canned goods.

When she was finished, she threw everything in her backpack. She went to the fridge to grab the 5 bottles of water and cans of soda. Daryl appeared with their hunting knives and his own crossbow. He grabbed ammo that was tucked in his pockets, and then the guns. He put most of the ammo into his backpack. He stopped, hesitating before handing over a strap along with a knife to Lizzy. Lizzy looked at him, but Daryl gave her a confirming nod. "Ya know how ta handle it." he murmered. Lizzy sighed. "On a tree, not on livin' things." she said sadly, but she took the knife anyhow and placed it in the strap that she attached on her waist.

Merle walked down the stairs and looked at Lizzy. He gave her an approving nod when he noticed the knife strap hanging around her waist. "Go change," he ordered, refering at her bare legs. "Long pants 'n a tight shirt. Ya also might wann' put that beautiful long hair o' yours in a ponytail."

Lizzy nodded and sprinted to her room. She quickly changed into a long pants and t-shirt, and combed her hair together in a ponytail. When she opened her closet, she noticed her daddy had already collected her clothes and personal belongings. She smiled when she realised he had also already taken her precious necklace with him, that meant a lot to her. Her daddy had given it to her for her seventeenth birtday.

She took a few things her daddy had forgotten, such as soap and shampoo. When she was sure she had grabbed everything they would need for a few days away from their home, she went downstairs and tossed it into her backpack. Her uncle and father waited for her in the hallway. "We 'r gonn' drive ta Atlanta, ta see what tha fuck's wrong. After that we will stay at our campin' spot 'til the government sorts this shit out." her daddy explained while readying his gun. Lizzy nodded and grabbed the knife behind her belt with trembling hands. They all grabbed a backpack and adjusted it on their back. Daryl had his crossbow prepared and looked at Lizzy with a questioning look. Lizzy gave a nod, to confirm she was alright. Daryl gestured at the knife and Lizzy nodded again. She raised her knife and turned around to look at her father.

Merle opened the door and they walked outside.

_Nothing._

They weren't surprised, since their cabin wasn't very close to the actual town they officially lived in. Lizzy sighed in relief and walked to her car, but her father whistled at her. She turned around and frowned. "We ain' taking ya car, darlin'. We takin' our own pick-up." he said as he stood behind his motorcycle and started to push it towards their other pick-up. "Why?" Lizzy wondered, quite disappointed by already having to leave her new love behind. Merle and Daryl lifted the heavy motorcycle into the bed trunk of the pick-up. "'Cuz urs uses too much gas." her uncle explained. Lizzy heaved a sigh but nodded eventually. She walked to the dark blue pick-up instead and opened the door to the passanger's side. Soon as her dad hit the gas pedal, she watched as their house and her pick-up faded away in the distance.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Flashback**_

* * *

"I look fuckin' _ridiculous_."

"Ya wann' get tha kid 'r what?"

Daryl looked at his older brother, who was wearing a clean jeans, a shirt with a tie and a blazer. He never thought Merle was actually capable of doing this; all effort for a kid he barely knew. When he asked him about her, he growled, telling him to shut up about it. Daryl knew Merle had a soft spot for her since the first time he saw her, but that he actually would do all of this was rather a shock to the both of them. Clearly Merle didn't know how to deal with this, since he was so withheld about it all. Merle never spoke about Elizabeth's mother, though he doubted if that one of the problems he was dealing with. The night when Merle had told Daryl about her having a kid, he could see the hate in Merle's eyes when he had talked about her. But there was something else. Disappointment? _Sadness?_ Daryl was unable to find out what is was, but it was there.

"Fine. Let's go. Sooner we done, tha better." Merle grumbled while walking outside. Daryl smirked and followed him to the car.

The ride was spent in silence. They had to drive 4 hours to Atlanta to pick her up.

"If ya want I can drive," Daryl offered, "case ya wann' get som' sleep."

Merle snorted. "Nah." he simply said, while he gezed at the cars riding in front of them. After that, they continued the journey in silence.

When they arrived in Atlanta and had parked the car in front of the building, Daryl looked at Merle in question. Merle avoided his gaze while the both of them walked towards the elevators.

"Mr. Dixon?"

A woman was standing in the waiting area, looking at the unknown people while she waited for the so called mister Dixon to stand up. When he heard his last name, he almost jumped up. Daryl tugged his shirt from behind. Merle sighed and understood what he meant. He let his little brother walk ahead of him.

Daryl offered the woman his hand, who shook it with a smile. "Nathalie Wrightway," she introduced herself. Merle raised her eyebrows while he watched his brother. _Son of a bitch_, he thought surprised._ Where the fuck did the little shit learn that from?_

Merle hesitated, but eventually offered the woman his hand. She repeated the same as she had done with Daryl, as she gave him a reassuring smile. The woman gestured to the office at the other side of the hallway. "This way please." she said softly. Merle and Daryl let her lead the way and Merle looked at her ass, though Daryl shoved his elbow into Merle's ribs when he noticed.

They entered a boring looking office and the woman closed the door behind them. The room was white; the only color came from the blood red couches that were placed against the window. There was a desk with an expensive looking laptop on it, and a chair opposite of the couch. The woman nodded at the couch. "Please sit down." she offered, while sitting down on the chair. The Dixon brothers followed her example and sat down on the red couch.

"So, mr Dixon—" "—please darlin', call me _Merle_."

The woman looked utterly surprised and Merle saw her blush. Daryl gave him a warning look.

"..Right. So, _Merle_, we have invited you here today to see how you were doing. Would you mind to answer some questions?" the woman asked, while taking a notebook and pencil. Merle shrugged. "Not at all." he replied casually. The woman nodded. "Alright. Well, do you consider yourself rehabilitated and stable?"

The woman waited for his response. The room fell silent as Merle seemed to think of an answer.

"Yes," he finally admitted, "yes I do."

Daryl wanted to roll his eyes. _Right_. His older brother was still using that shit, and he sure as hell wouldn't stop right away, though Merle had promised Daryl to quit for atleast a few months. Daryl had yelled at him when Merle had disagreed at first, but when Daryl started about Lizzy Merle finally gave in.

"That is great to hear. Have you attended a rehab program or have you checked into a clinic?"

Daryl wanted to throw a vase at her, but Merle was surprisingly calm.

"No, I have not," he snorted, "but do I look like a junk t'ya?"

The woman ignored his attempt to get under her skin. "Have you brought blood and urine test results with you? We cannot let Ann go with you if you do not have these results on paper as a proof."

_Stupid bitch doin' this 'n purpose_, Daryl scoffed, while looking at the smart ass bitch sitting in front of them. He peeped out of the corner of his eye at Merle, who shook his head. _Fucker still manage ta stay calm. _

"No, I do not. 'Onestly, darlin', do I look that bad t'ya? It was a mistake, 'm tellin' ya. Ask mah lil' brotha." Merle gestured at Daryl while looking at the woman, who gave them a discouraging look. "Rules are rules, mr. Dixon." she said with a blank face.

The woman was pushing his buttons. Merle sighed while he tried to control his anger.

Their conversation was interrupted when the door opened. A girl peeped around the door, probably around 19 years old. The woman before them rolled her eyes. "_What_ now, Jessica? I'm in the middle of a conversation." she snapped. The girl entered the room and closed the door behind her. "Are these Ann's parents?" she asked surprised while nodding at the Dixon brothers. It took a moment for Daryl and Merle to realise what she was talking about. "No, wait—_God_ no!" "What tha fuck 's wrong with ya, blondie?!"

The girl giggled and walked towards them. She offered Merle her hand. "Jessica Turner, intern. Nice to meet you, mr. Dixon." she rambled with a smile. Merle shook her hand. "I take it that you are her father then? I mean, you two really look a like." she smiled. Merle smirked. "Tha's right blon—_Jessica_, I'm her father." he replied. Jessica chuckled and offered Daryl her hand as well, who only shook her hand and nodded as a greeting. The girl nodded back with a grin and turned to the woman. "So, we done here? Can I take them to see her?" she said while waggling on her feet, causing Daryl and Merle to look at the young girl in surprise as they both started to gain hope.

The woman shook her head. "No test results, so no, they will not see her."

Daryl and Merle leaned back again while shaking their heads. However, Jessica put her hands on her hips. "Well, I have read the terms and conditions and article 245 of the handbook says, quote, 'the legal guardian will be allowed to take her/his child, providing that he/she will be under control by authoraties or undercover.'. Basically he's allowed to take her home, but if he relapses the previous 'complainers' are allowed to call the police again."

Everyone looked at the girl in shock. Merle nearly smiled.

"Though if mr. Dixon decides to relapse," Jessica looked at Merle with a sever expression, "Child Services are allowed to remove the child permanently." she finally said. Merle's smile disappeared, but he nodded anyhow. Jessica looked at Nathalie with a challenging look, but Nathalie only nodded with a blank expression. "Do you agree with this offer, mr. Dixon?" Jessica asked with a chuckle while looking at Merle. He simply nodded again.

"Alright then, let's take you to her!"


	9. Chapter 9

The tall girl put her brown hair in a ponytail and sighed.

Apparently they weren't the only one with the plan to go to Atlanta, since the whole highway was filled with honking cars. Most of the people had come out of their cars, as they tried to find out what caused the never ending traffic jam.

Lizzy waggled on her feet while she waited outside the car to get some fresh air. Her uncle and daddy were standing behind the car as they discussed what to do next. Lizzy looked at the people around her and felt uncomfortable. For some reason, she always felt tensed in large crowds; she was rather kind of a loner, which was a trait she had obtained from her father. Ofcourse her daddy could handle the pressure, but he prefered the silence over all the hustle and bustle as well.

She startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Lizzy turned around and looked into the blue pair of eyes from her uncle. "Ya alrigh'?" he asked while he nodded at the hooting vehicles in front of them. Lizzy shrugged. "I don' 'ave much of a choice, huh? Even if I wouldn' be alrigh', whad'dya wann' do 'bout it?" she sighed. Daryl nodded and let go of her shoulder.

It was already getting dark when the three of them returned to their car. Lizzy sat on the drivers seat while her father and uncle were still debating with hushed voices on what to do. Her tummy growled, and she realised she hadn't eaten since this morning. Lizzy figured her dad and uncle must be hungry by now as well, and she reached for her backpack to grab a few slices of bread and peanutbutter. She used her clean knife to spread the peanutbutter on the bread and walked to her dad and uncle to give them a few sandwiches. "Here," she muttered. Daryl and Merle looked down to her and nodded. "Thanks Liz." Daryl murmered. She nodded and returned to the car to give them some privacy.

Even though Lizzy often went camping and hunting along with her dad and uncle, she wasn't exactly a brave person. Ofcourse, she knew how to survive and hunt, but she only killed a squirrel once or twice when she was about 10 years old. And afterwards she felt numb and guilty. She had gotten out of bed to go to her daddy's room, and climbed into his bed. When Merle had noticed the movements, he had turned around to look at his daughter. Her lip was trembling as if she was about to cry and Merle had turned the light on. He immediately knew why she was about to cry. "Stop it, Liz." he had growled, which caused Lizzy to tremble even more. "Dixon's don't cry, baby girl. Ya know tha'." he had added with a more gentle voice this time. Lizzy nodded while thinking about those words, _Dixon's don't cry_, and had blinked a few times before closing her eyes. "_Dixon's don't cry_," she had repeated, while curling up against her daddy's chest.

Lizzy turned around when she heard the familiar heavy footsteps behind her. "'S gonn' be a long day." her father mumbled before he grabbed a beer can and opened it. Lizzy nodded and turned around to look at her dad. "I need to pee." she said sheepish. Merle raised his eyebrows. "Alrigh' then, want me ta come with ya?" he offered, while Lizzy tightened the belt and adjusted the sheath until it felt comfortable enough. Lizzy rolled her eyes. "Thanks, but I think I can manage m'self." she said while she shook her head. Merle chuckled quietly. "Stay close. Dont'cha go wanderin' off into tha woods by yaself. Holler if ya need anythin'."

She turned towards the woods and paced her way through all the cars and people on the highway. A few kids were playing a game, while a different group of people had even managed to warm up a barbeque. The smell of cheeseburgers filled the air and she gasped at the thought of eating one.

When she had reached the edge between the forest and highway, she quickened her pace. _'Stay close'_ she heard her father say in the back of her mind, but Lizzy looked around and saw no one, so she allowed herself to walk a little bit further. When she was sure that no one would be able to see her, she quickly did her need.

She stood up and buttoned her jeans and walked back towards the highway. When she was halfway there, she heard the groaning sound in the distance. Lizzy held back a shriek and hid behind a tree.

A boy around her age walked a few meters at the other side from her tree. Lizzy frowned, until she realised what was happening in the world and the reason why they had left their home in the first place. _Dead_, she thought in panick,_ he is dead._

Liz felt a shiver running down her spine and attempted to calm herself down. Nothing's going to happen Lizzy, you're going to be just fine. In a few moments he will be out of your sight and you can go safely back to the car.

But she was wrong.

More dead followed after the boy; around 40 staggered forward, while they kept groaning and moaning. They walked spread out around the area, and Liz could only pray that they wouldn't notice her.

The young Dixon tried to think of something else. She touched the small diamond that hung around her neck, and thought back to her 17th birthday. Her dad had given it to her, after he had sold half of the drugs he owned. Lizzy had been furious first, but after she rethought it all, she had come to the conclusion it was the start of something good. The girl wore the necklace every day after that and felt naked without it. Lizzy smiled at the memory and of how happy she had been. Even her uncle had smiled back then, because of his older brother; Merle was on his way to be a better father.

_Ofcourse,_ they had been wrong. The happiness had only lasted for 2 weeks, until Merle was starting to become crazy because of the side effects. Daryl had screamed at him to seek for medical help, but Merle had refused because they didn't have the money to do so.

Lizzy shook her head and bit her lower lip. Her dad had been addicted for so long, _ofcourse_ he couldn't just stop right away; that wasn't realistic, sure, she _knew_ that. But the fact that Merle kept making up excuses like '_I'll stop next month'_ was seriously pissing Lizzy and Daryl off.

Though Merle never actually_ promised_.

A few days ago however, after he didn't show up at her graduation, he had promised her to stop._ An actual promise_. Lizzy was shocked, but she trusted her daddy on this one. M_aybe he finally gets it, now that I'm almost turning 18._

The growls behind her interrupted her daydream.

The cold hands and long nails grabbed her long brown hair.

* * *

**[_A/N_] I would love to get some feedback. Not sure if I'm portraying Merle and Daryl the right way, but yeah. I don't think Merle can just ''stop'' with the drugs just because he has a daughter, I mean we talkin bout _Merle_ friggin _Dixon_ here, lmao. But yeah, opinions are very much appreciated. Even a simple word is enough to motivate me to keep writing! I already created a whole plot for this story, so I'm very excited to continue this fic :) X**


	10. Chapter 10

They alternated between listening and talking to each other while they tried to make a plan. One that could actually _work_. Because here they were, stuck in a fuckin _traffic _jam; thanks to that they had lost a lot of time. They were _supposed_ to be at their camping spot by now, though the Dixon brothers doubed if they would actually be the only one there; the fact that they thought everyone would be gone by now was a stupid and naive thought, after all.

Merle and Daryl looked up when they heard screaming. When they had found the person who was screaming, a woman in her 40's, their mouths dropped open. A walker had gotten her and had bitten her neck; people started panicking immediately.

It took them both a moment to realize that more walkers were following her. Merle realised that his daughter had gone off into the woods a while ago now, and he felt the panic wash over him. But luckily he knew how to handle panic; one of the things he'd learned during his _shitty_ childhood.

The walker staggered forward, and quickened their pace when they realised the highway was practically an open buffet to them. More victims followed when the walkers had managed to spread out. Some people started to fight back; though it was already a lost battle for most of them, as more people got bitten and families started to fall apart. They saw a husband crying next to the bleeding body of a woman. A different walker got the man from behind and bit his head. Merle grew cold at the sight.

"Lizzy's still there." he stated quietly, while he watched how people got eaten a few meters away. He felt Daryl tugging the sleeve of his jacket. "Bro, we need ta do somethin'." Daryl urged, while he followed Merle's glance. Merle suddenly turned around to go to the car. He opened the door and searched for a knife. When he found one, he closed the door and turned around. Daryl blocked his way when he wanted to walk to the woods. "Get _outta_ tha way Darylina." Merle growled in his lower voice. Daryl put a hand on his chest. "She can handle 'erself. We need ta get in tha car 'n cover tha windows 'till this shit's over." "Ya be_ fuckin'_ wi' me?! I ain' leavin' my daughter out there ta die on 'er own!" He shouted angrily while he raised his finger accusingly at his brother. "I ain't leavin' _again_," Merle added, while he lowered his voice, "—I _promised_ 'er."

Daryl met his eyes and nodded once. "Get tha car ready." Merle commanded while he walked away, but Daryl ran next to him. "Ya_ kiddin'?_ Comin' with ya."

They stopped talking and ran towards the woods. None of the walkers had noticed them yet, since they were too busy focussing on their meal on the highway. Merle sprinted further into the woods and Daryl followed him. They both looked down at the fallen leaves on the ground. "She wen' tha' way." Daryl said, while nodding to their right. Merle said nothing and continued to run towards the that direction.

"Liz?!" Merle screamed, while he raised his knife. Daryl had his gun ready, since he had left his crossbow in the car. They both waited for what seemed to be an eternity, until they realised she wasn't anywhere nearby. The both of them continued to jog further into the woods. Daryl halted when he heard the groaning and he laid a hand on his brothers shoulder. When Merle looked to him in question, Daryl laid a finger on his lips, telling him to shut up.

When Merle heard the groaning, he didn't hesitate and ran towards the sound. Daryl rolled his eyes at his brothers stubborness and followed him.

"Lizzy, baby girl, where ya at?!" Merle tried again. He stopped in his tracks and listened.

"_Daddy_?!"

When he heard the voice, his heart skipped a beat; the way she had shouted his name made it sound like she was in big trouble. Daryl followed him, keeping an eye on their surrounding to avoid a surprise attack from one of those dead fucks. Meanwhile, Merle's heart was pounding loudly in his chest while he followed the noise. "_Holler,_ girl, we here!" Daryl yelled while he followed his brother. But they both stopped and turned to the left when they heard the groaning nearby.

"Good_ fuckin_' Lord."

Her brown hair was all messed up and tangled with leaves while she spun around and moved backwards, away from the 5 walkers. Lizzy's arms were covered with blood and what seemed to be guts, and even her cheeks had dried blood on it. She gasped and shove the knife into his forehead, while another one tried to grab her hair. Daryl walked forward. "Not so fast, ya _sumbitch_."

He pulled the trigger and the walker fell down. Merle shoved his back. "Put tha gun 'way idiot! Ya dumb 'r wha'?! Could've hit her!" Merle shouted while he ran towards the walkers. He followed his daughters example and started to stab the dead fuckers in the heads. Daryl cursed at himself before he did the same.

Merle wanted to grab the last walker, when her daugter pushed him away. "Don't. _I'm_ doin' it." she growled dangerously in her lower voice. Merle was shocked at the sudden change of his daughter's sweet personality, but he let her anyway. Instead of just stabbing the walker, Lizzy tackled the walker and continued to break both its arms by using a log of wood. She then let the log rest on the walkers upperbody, while it clapped its teeth as it tried to reach out for her. Daryl and Merle stood next to eachother and watched. "Ya fuckin' crazy,_ girl?_! Ya wann' get yaself killed?!" Merle grunted in frustration. Lizzy turned around to look at him and Merle froze. The guilt, anxiety and tension could be easily seen in her eyes. Lizzy walked over to the walker and kneeled down next to him, leaving enough space as she did so. "Jack—_I'm so sorry._ I'm _so_ sorry." Lizzy wailed while she tried to fight the tears like she always did. Lizzy shook her head and clutched the knife in her lap. "I should've bin there for ya, but I wasn'. I'm so sorry. Thank you for everythin'."

Lizzy raised the knife—

"_I love you._"

—And shoved it with full force into its skull. The groaning stopped and Lizzy panted from exhaustion. Meanwhile, Daryl and Merle were exchanging confused looks.

Merle hesitated, but lowered himself onto his knees next to her. Lizzy didn't turn around. "Ya okay?" he asked, which was quite a stupid question since she obviously wasn't.

"I knew 'im, daddy." she whispered softly. Lizzy bit her lower lip for a while, so the pain would distract her from the stinging tears behind her light blue eyes.

"It was _him_. My bes' friend. Tha one tha' took me ta prom. My _only_ true friend."


	11. Chapter 11

Merle hadn't said anything to his daughter after that. Comforting wasn't exactly one of his main qualities, but he managed to pat her on the shoulder and attempt to assure her that it wasn't her fault. Ofcourse, that didn't make the situation less horrible, but atleast it was something.

The three of them walked back to their car, as they listened closely if there was any groaning noises nearby. When they reached the highway, they all gasped at the sight.

Half of the people that had been alive, were now dead, as most of the dead bodies were gathered on a pile of corpses from people and walkers. Lizzy shook her head. "That's disgustin'." she whispered while they continued to move forward. People and children were crying, grieving for their loved ones. Merle thought about how lucky he was. What if Elizabeth had been lying over there? The man would never forgive himself if that was the case.

"Lizzy," he grunted, while he grasped her arm to look at her. Lizzy turned around and frowned in question. Her daddy heaved a sigh. "Ya need ta be more careful, alrigh'? I ain't goin' ta watch yer ass all tha time, ya know tha'."

Lizzy shook her head and managed to smirk at him. "I was doin' perfectly fine now weren't I?" she said teasingly while she yanked her arm loose. Merle's expression hardened. "I ain't jokin' Liz. Watch yerself. Somethin''s tellin' me this whole thang ain't goin' ta end soon."

His daughter nodded and they walked to the car.

A loud explosion made everyone turn around. At first, the Dixon brothers were exchanging firm looks with eachother, as they both had no idea what was going on. But soon it all made sense. "They fuckin' blowin' up Atlanta?" Daryl questioned in disbelief. Merle didn't respond, but watched as more explosions followed. He could see around 20 militairy planes buzzing around the big city. "Prol'ly too much of dem sumbitches for 'em ta handle." Merle pondered while he opened the door. Daryl wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and snorted. "Well, tha fuck we goin' ta do now?" he asked while he looked at Merle, who shrugged in response. "Go to tha damn campin' spot, I s'ppose. Lizzy we 'r-"

The words were stuck in his throat when he couldn't find his daughter. Fear crept up to his stomach and he looked around. When he found her, standing by a truck talking to a bunch of strange people, his mood changed to fury. Merle ran towards his daughter, who was laughing to a strange old man. "Didn' I tell ya ta watch yerself?!" he screamed as he yanked her arm. Lizzy caught the worrisome and angered look and she bit her lower lip. "Jus' talkin' ta someone, 's all." she tried calmly, though Merle grinded his teeth and shook his head. "This ain' wha' I meant wi' 'bein' careful', girl. Ya damn know ya shouldn' be talkin' ta strangers." he snapped. The old man she was talking to wore a hat that was covering his grey hair. He offered Merle an assuring smile. "Don't worry, mr. I'm Dale. Your daughter offered the people here to come to that camping spot of yours. That was a very kind thing of her to do," he nodded at Lizzy as a thanks. She smiled back at the man. Merle tried to look for the right words, to tell the man to fuck off, but Lizzy's smile melted his frozen heart. The way she looked at the people made him change his mind. She seemed happy. Happy to spend time with other people, other than Daryl and himself. He understood why; it must've been ages ago since Lizzy had spended time with other people. Merle pressed his lips together and nodded at the man before turning around.

Daryl was looking at a map when Merle stormed towards him. The younger Dixon raised his eyebrows in question. "What's tha' all 'bout?" he wondered as he folded the map. Merle sighed and licked hips lips, knowing Daryl wouldn't like this plan either. "These people 'r comin' wi' us." Merle breathed as he wiped his face with his shirt. Daryl's eyed widened in disbelief. "Ya kiddin'?"

Merle rolled his eyes. "Does it look's like I'm kiddin', Darylina? Ya heard me. Don' ask questions. I'm still tryin' ta figure it out myself." he offered in response, causing Daryl to scowl. "Looks like ya got it all under control." Daryl said mockingly while gesturing at the group of people. Merle growled something under his breath and opened the car door. "Liz! Git ovar 'ere!"

Lizzy looked up when she heard Daryl's voice. She said something to the older man and ran towards their car. The old man said something to the group and they all got in their cars. "Fuckin' hell.." Daryl moaned while closing his eyes. Lizzy frowned and looked at her uncle. "What is it?" she wondered while opening the car door and getting in. "I forgot 'bout how much 'f a pain in tha ass ya were."


End file.
